Frozen Ponderings

How much of a difference has it been for Ray Bourque now that he plays for a great team rather than a mediocre one? In his 65 games with Boston last season before being traded to Colorado, Bourque scored 10 goals and amassed 38 points. He was a minus-11. In the 64 games with Colorado, Bourque has 13 goals, 59 points and is a plus-23. The Roberto Luongo era has arrived in Florida. Despite losing 3-2 in overtime to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, Luongo has been as good as any goalie in the league this month. In his last five starts, Luongo has a 1.59 GAA and .944 save percentage. If anyone is interested in trading for a goalie, Trevor Kidd could be available. Trade rumors both amuse and annoy players. Scott Gomez's name came up a fair amount, especially when Rob Blake was a possibility for the Devils. Captain Scott Stevens thought that was a funny one. "The guys kind of laughed at that one," admitted Stevens. Why is that so funny? Because Stevens says GM Lou Lamoriello wouldn't give away the reigning Calder Trophy winner who is so young and so well liked in the locker room. But based on how popular Adam Deadmarsh was in Colorado, Stevens, of all people, should know that anything is possible. It's interesting to compare Blake to Chris Pronger, last year's Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenseman. In the last two seasons, Blake has played 131 games to date, scoring 35 goals and adding 71 assists, to go along with 181 penalty minutes and a plus-2. Pronger, who remains out with a knee injury, has played 124 games in that same span, scoring 20 goals and adding 83 assists. Factor in his 155 penalty minutes, and it's practically a wash. But Pronger's plus-minus of plus-70 -- granted he's on a better defensive team -- blows Blake away.

Larry Robinson didn't really want to be a head coach again.

After his up-and-down four seasons on the bench in Los Angeles, Robinson was ready to enjoy hockey again, work hard, be one of the guys -- and avoid being the guy who had to address the media after every practice or game.

So last year, he returned to the Devils, a team he helped win a Stanley Cup as an assistant in 1995 before taking the Kings' head job.

"To be honest, it's much more fun being an assistant," Robinson said. "And it's less responsibility. You still get to do a lot of things a head coach does without the added headache."

But when GM Lou Lamoriello dismissed Robbie Ftorek last March and placed Robinson in charge, Robinson didn't expect to get that headache back so soon.

"I wasn't even looking for it," Robinson said of the chance to return to the head coaching racket. He got "it," but instead of a headache, he earned his eighth Stanley Cup -- he won six as a player -- and a full-time opportunity to return to the Devils bench at least through next season.

That's a quick change for Robinson, who was content at the end of the bench.

"But I'm enjoying it," Robinson said. "I enjoy any competition, and it's been fun."

And that's the key for Robinson: He likes to have fun at the rink. And as a head coach, sometimes hockey isn't so fun. Sometimes, a coach must separate himself from the fun stuff, like joking and shooting around with players.

But whether it's because the Devils are a veteran team with great leadership or that Robinson has learned to balance competitiveness and festiveness, Robinson has struck a healthy balance in New Jersey. He tries to keep things loose and trusts veterans like Scott Stevens and Martin Brodeur to help police the team to buckle down when necessary.

"He likes to be around the guys and see how guys are doing," Stevens said. "Larry has a way to get respect, have fun and know when to play.

"At times, he let's us go and have fun. At a certain point, we have to nail down hatches and get ready for the stretch drive."

That time might be now. Even though none are overly serious, the Devils have been hit by a rash of injuries, including Jason Arnott (back), Scott Gomez (back), Petr Sykora (shoulder), Alexander Mogilny (abdominal strain). That's some serious talent on the shelf, if even for a few games.

And the Devils suddenly find themselves the No. 4 seed in the East after Philly supplanted them atop the Atlantic Division. In the East, that's a big deal because if the season ended today, the Devils would play the Penguins, and not Toronto or Carolina, if the Devils finished a No. 1 or 2 seed. That's a big difference in competition, especially considering the Mario Lemieux-Jaromir Jagr-Alexei Kovalev factor.

"We were very fortunate to go as long as we did without key injuries," said Robinson, downplaying the sudden rash of injuries. "There has to be an element of luck and has a lot to do with the schedule. Early on, we didn't have a lot of long trips, and now games are catching up to us.

"With four games in seven nights in four different cities, we're asking humans to do more than we ask machinery to do," he said.

Despite a little slip in the standings and a more strenuous schedule, the Devils' "machinery" works extremely well under Robinson.

Mailbag
During the season, a question or two from ESPN.com users will be answered in every edition of In the Corners. If you want a question answered, click here and ask away.

Question from Joshua Gang, Denver, Colo.: Can anyone in the West take the Avs over a seven-game series if they remain healthy and Adam Foote and other injured players come back healthy?

Response: There's no question that the acquisition of Rob Blake makes the Avs the most formidable team in the NHL, especially when Foote returns to the ice. All the talk of Chris Pronger the last two seasons overshadowed Blake, who is every bit as good.

Adam Deadmarsh was pretty much the Avs' sixth-best forward, and the recent play of Ville Nieminen made it more palatable to part with Deadmarsh. Plus, Steve Reinprecht is a young player with a lot of promise.

There are several reasons why the Avs will be difficult to beat in a seven-game series. Before getting to Blake, Foote and Ray Bourque on the blue line, start with three-time Cup winner Patrick Roy. But the greatest advantage might be that the Avs have, arguably, the two best centers in the game -- Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Sakic is having a great season, and after some inconsistency and missed time, Forsberg has been on fire -- 17 points in nine February games. To trot out two lines that would be No. 1 units on any team in the NHL will wear down the opposition's depth and lead to penalties. Then there are Blake, Bourque, Sakic, Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, Chris Drury and Alex Tanguay to choose from on the power play.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.